Transport officials selling papers for stolen cars, police say

Authorities have suspended the registration of some 500 cars because they suspect "official" papers were misused for stolen automobiles.

Information from insurance firms indicates that 1,200 to 1,500 vehicles are wrecked after serious road crashes each year, but registration papers for many of these vehicles continue to be active.

"From our preliminary probe, we have found some genuine registration papers were misused for stolen cars," deputy national police commissioner General Somyot Poompanmoung said yesterday, in his capacity as head of a centre seeking to suppress the stealing of cars and motorcycles.

The Land Transport Department had suspended about 500 registration documents, he said.

But motorists who had registration papers suspended could call 1192 for advice around the clock.

"We understand that some people bought second-hand cars without knowing that they were stolen vehicles," Somyot said.

He urged people to file complaints with police if they had been duped into buying a stolen car.

The investigation suggests that land-transport officials in Prachin Buri, Sakon Nakhon and other provinces in the Northeast may have been involved in the scam, he said.

People planning to buy a second-hand car should go to a reliable agent or buy directly from the owner, he said.